Willie Nelson fans are upset with the singer over the news that he’s not only supporting a Democratic Senate contender, but is headlining a rally in Texas for him.

Nelson, whose public political views typically lean more liberal, announced on his Facebook page that he’ll be headlining the Turn Out For Texas rally for candidate Beto O’Rourke, who is currently running against Sen. Ted Cruz.

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Despite clearly being in favor of the Democratic candidate, Nelson’s fans were taken aback by the news that he’s supporting a candidate whose politics they don’t agree with.

“If that’s true im done after 45 years with the Red Headed Stranger ,by [sic] Willy,” one user commented on the Facebook announcement.

144. So much to burn, so little time.

The toxic smoke hasn’t yet cleared from the Dixie Chicks Flame Fest and Tractor Pull Back in ‘03.https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/71953/protesters-destroy-dixie-chicks-cdsProtesters Destroy Dixie Chicks CDs
Billboard | 03/17/2003
Using a 33,000-pound tractor to obliterate compact discs and other items, a few hundred protesters in Bossier City, La., referring to themselves as backers of U.S. President George Bush...
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10. Willie could care less. And most probably aren't fans.

11. The poor snowflakes!

Are they triggered? Do they need to retreat to their safe spaces? How dreadful for them! Maybe they need to go back and watch old episodes of Walker Texas Ranger or old Jon Voight movies to feel better.

109. I'll admit to setting reefer on fire from time to time, but not in protest.

14. wow, that comment section

anyone doubting there are at least 2 USAs can go read the bottom half of that foxnews web page. there will be no reconciliation with the coalition of butthurt stupid known as the GOP. they are lost to us.

43. Lukas Nelson is awesome. I would love to see his band live at some point.

46. I saw them open for Willie a few years back...

and more recently saw Willie with Lukas playing lead guitar. My son will be seeing them at Farm Aid in Hartford next week! Lukas's most recent album is unbelievably good--I think he has the makings of a legend.

45. I'll be there if it all possible

94. I could drive to Texas to see the Dixie Chicks

Willie Nelson is, of course, a legend. The last time I saw him in concert was at least a decade ago with Merle Haggard and Ray Price. I can't say I was too impressed with Willie's singing, but then I never was. I still enjoyed myself.

29. Bullshit. Willies fans know his views and his fans are mostly of the same mind.

30. I'd bet Willies' true fans are just fine with this.

It's the repugs who are drug users who have never gotten Willie just like him because he's country and smokes pot. I doubt Willie gives a shit if they like this or not, he does what he feels is the right thing, regardless. Go Willie, indeed!!

31. Looks like the Russian troll they found on Facebook doesn't know how to spell Willie...

32. What a crock of faux outrage from faux news

I seriously doubt any real fan of Willie is shocked by his political views and willingness to support Beto. Willie has been extremely vocal about his beliefs throughout his career...wonder if these same fans would be shocked to learn that Willie smoked a joint on the roof of the White House!

Just as the people who use a non-direct link to avoid giving click-tracebacks and extra Google ratings aren't promoting crackpot but somewhat amusing/relevant threads/articles on particularly nasty sites aren't necessarily promoting the ideas expressed, but showing their existence and mocking.

If we said all RW material wrote about here was promoting their talking points, every person mocking a Drumph tweetstorm would get PPRed in a hurry.

Fox, while not necessarily a "trustworthy news source", isn't being posted for its factual nature here but mocking their slant on an obvious liberal like Willie suddenly "surprising" fans by this decision. And their Google rankings won't be affected by direct links, nor will site operators be aware of clicks from DU and know a thread is being discussed, so a non-direct link will make no difference.

I am posting this in response to you because you questioned the source, and am not attempting to suggest you were implying more than poor choice in news sources. But there's been obvious confusion about this issue in the past, and it sometimes continues.

77. Protest! Burn your pot!

Sheesh. Just breath deeply around the edges.
Then, go out (if you've replaced the Nike sneakers you burned in last week's protest with some other shoes) and buy more and burn that too. That'll show Willie.

You really can't make up the stuff these idiots do.
REGISTER and VOTE!

106. Maybe he identifies with Clapton's Tory era or when he was very verbally racist in public claiming

England was for white people not immigrants . In fact, his bizarre outburst was one of many rockstar actions that helped spur the Rock Against Racism movement so maybe the coworker is in to that era of his music .
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Against_Racism

Clapton later apologized and said it was drugs or maybe he said it was the drinking talking...I think he is more libertarian leaning now and gave a concert to raise money for the pro hunting fox faction after it was banned in U.K. when the labor party was able to push the fox hunting ban to law

He was a born again Christian also maybe still is ?
I do not know but a lot of righties are into that so maybe the coworker is a rightie born again and remembers Clapton was, or is also too

107. If Clapton is a righty I will stop playing Cream music in my little band

110. Hard to know his slant now but he did say in a film interview last year that his old views were

the kind of thinking that led to Brexit and he did not vote for it.
He has come off as more libertarian than RW imo, but other than mentioning Brexit he did not delve into his political opinions , he is a musician foremost.

Hey Elvis Costello was one of the leads in rock against racism movement events then in later years spent a decade in shame for calling James brown and ray Charles n*##@;s !!
Which he then repented many times

123. Keep playing those Cream classics!

Clapton is mortified by his past behavior. Interestingly, no known audio, film or video exists of the 1976 racist rant in question. It was initially reported in a rock-music periodical, so one has to accept (or not) that every word about this incident is true as written, and nothing was embellished.

However, Clapton himself has owned up to this particular reprehensible behavior. It was during that very dark time that he was ultra-high on heroin, booze and god-knows-what-else. It’s a miracle that he even survived that period. Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, “Blind Owl” Al Wilson, Keith Moon and dozens of other rock icons didn’t survive. Jack Bruce of Cream died in 2014 due to a failed liver transplant— his heroin addiction went on longer than Clapton’s.

Clapton is deeply ashamed and has apologized repeatedly about the 1976 incident while extremely inebriated. In a recent documentary about the musician, “Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars” by the American filmmaker Lili Fini Zanuck, Clapton says he was disgusted at his infamous concert outburst. Clapton said that he accepted it was “shocking and unforgivable”, adding: “I was becoming not only chauvinistic but fascistic too. I was so ashamed of who I was, a kind of semi-racist, which didn’t make sense. Half of my friends were black. I dated black women and I championed black music.”

Critics still bash him, some even saying that his apologies amount to “whitesplaining.” Whatever the case, I think that Clapton is a changed man (the accidental death of his 4-year-old son in 1991 shook him profoundly). My own opinion is that Clapton’s earned forgiveness.

But don’t let this lousy moment spoil your appreciation of the artist. As someone posted above, Elvis Costello had his racist moment, too, as did David Bowie, who said “Hitler was one of the first rock stars,” and used Nazi iconography in his performances.
Nevertheless, we embrace these artists because they’re complex, and their music touches on issues that concern the human condition— and that includes all of us.

108. Well Beto was not thought to win back then and now that he is , they are outraged at any support

he is getting even from long time supporters like Nelson . They played Roll me up and smoke me when I die together !
And it was at Willie's 4th of July Picnic not a random campaign stop
These RWers are not real Nelson fans just drama queens
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118. This is ridiculous! I was born and raised in Texas and

Willie Nelson has been a Liberal as long as I've known (of) him. I wonder if this story is COMPLETELY made up. I can't imagine ANYBODY in Texas being surprised and there being a backlash....Give me a break!

131. They Are Not Having A Good Time Lately

Upset at Nike and Keurig to the point of shooting those expensive products they bought.....and now Willie upsets them. The off the rails righties are insane. That’s what 20+ years of Fox News and right wing radio has created.

139. They can go to hell

If they don't agree with artists and performers taking political stances, they can stop patronizing those artists.
Fortunately for me, I never had to do so since the overwhelming majority of the artists I follow have similar political views to mine.

146. The abject stupidity of conservatives never ends - like the Roger Waters "fans" that walked out

of his concerts last year.

You've been listening to Willie (or Roger) for 45 years and you think they're conservative?

Fucking hell, you goddamn moron gumswallowers.

I'll ask (and then answer) an easy question: How fucking ignorant of how to understand language does one have to be to be a conservative? Answer: Dumb enough to vote for Donald and to think Willie Nelson is a conservative.